Apr 6, 2009

Strange Psak for Pesach: Taste your deodorant

The following image was copied from a pamphlet that was distributed to the bochurim in the Elon Moreh yeshiva..


The marked part instructs the students to spray some deodorant on their hands before pesach and taste it. if the taste is putrid, then the deodorant can be used on Pesach.

I never heard of the "Deodorant Taste test" before...
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11 comments:

  1. mother in israelApril 06, 2009 1:34 PM

    There's your chumra for next year.

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  2. Michael SedleyApril 06, 2009 1:56 PM

    Never heard of a "taste test" and not sure why it's necessary.

    I have heard that in some places (NYC) there are homeless people who distill deodorant for the alcohol (which sounds strange living in Israel where a bottle of Arak or Vodka is cheaper than deoderent)

    However, if you're really concerned, why not just buy alcohol-free deodorant?

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  3. Lion of ZionApril 06, 2009 1:59 PM

    israelis use deoderant?

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  4. Lion of ZionApril 06, 2009 2:01 PM

    we used a israeli oven cleaner that is maked kosher for passover. i pity the person who did the taste test on this.

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  5. ehwhyApril 06, 2009 10:53 PM

    I am really upset by this psak. In Halacha we almost always posken in areas that matters of preference are determined by the average person and not the individual. How is someone supposed to know by tasting their own deoderant if a normal person would find it repugnant?

    A Vaad needs to be set up to determine what the average person finds repugnant when tasting deoderant. It is only once a universal standard is established that we can rely on the Rabanim to tell was what deoderant to use.

    Afterall we are taking about hayev Kareis. That is almost as bad as seeing a woman out the window of a bus that shares a bus stop with another bus that goes to the Kotel.

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  6. Rafi G.April 06, 2009 10:54 PM

    lol

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  7. mother in israelApril 06, 2009 11:17 PM

    ehwhy had me going for a minute.

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  8. rachel in israelApril 07, 2009 8:49 PM

    is it better than drinking the four cups using economica instead of wine? it is kosher for pesach after all. Every year I get the tzedaka requests using the four cups of milk story. Maybe next year we'll switch it to four cups of bleach, much cheaper than milk.

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  9. Esser AgarothApril 13, 2009 2:31 PM

    B"H

    It's the same stuff we've been receiving from the Rabbanuth HaShomron for years.

    As you might have guessed, one rabbi, Rav David Bar-Hayim believes this to be completely unnecessary.

    Oh, yeah, and countless others believe the same.

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  10. Esser AgarothApril 13, 2009 2:45 PM

    P. S. I have a lot of Rav Eliyakim.

    {RBH told me personally of his agreement with him on several issues as well. He son was a student of REL's as well.}

    REL has issued several rulings which were politically incorrect, and took courage to issue {1. Olive picking in unclaimed areas 2. Don't listen to Aviner, etc.}. He also issued a ruling to fellow teachers and myself to refuse to sign a contract with a well respected Rosh Yeshiva which he showed to be unfair.

    He has always explained his rulings in a clear and logical manner.

    I realize that it is not up to me or to others simply to listen to rabbis when we happen to like what they say.

    But,...I would be VERY interested in hearing his halachic justification for this ruling.

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  11. shlomoApril 14, 2009 1:34 AM

    Spray deodorant consists mostly of alcohol and much commercial alcohol is originally made from grain, and thus, chametz. Does adding a small proportion of certain chemicals to the alcohol make it stop being chametz?

    To get a clearer view of the issue, consider a product that is more clearly chametz. If you sprinkled rat poison on a pita, would it suddenly stop being chametz and be permissible to have around on Pesach?

    There is a good case to be made that the pita would remain chametz. But the halacha is more lenient and says it is not chametz as long as it is actually inedible (as rat poison would make it). Similarly with alcohol, if it's not edible after the chemicals were added it is permissible. But apparently they did some testing and found that not all deodorants are actually inedible, thus, one must test them to be sure. Personally I would look for a pet dog to lick the deodorant for me though...

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